Standardised arthropod (Arthropoda) inventory across natural and anthropogenic impacted habitats in the Azores archipelago.

BACKGROUND

In this paper, we present an extensive checklist of selected arthropods and their distribution in five Islands of the Azores (Santa Maria. São Miguel, Terceira, Flores and Pico). Habitat surveys included five herbaceous and four arboreal habitat types, scaling up from native to anthropogenic managed habitats. We aimed to contribute to the ongoing effort to document the terrestrial biodiversity of the world, in particular the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores, as islands harbour a significant portion of unique terrestrial biodiversity. Selection of Arthropoda groups for the current checklist was based on their known richness and abundance (Arachnida, Collembola, Hemiptera, Neuroptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera), in almost all terrestrial ecosystems, as well as their importance in current Integrated Pest Management and alternative Biocontrol protocols at large (i.e. hymenopteran parasitoids and beneficial Coleoptera). In addition, we include the list of Dermaptera, Orthoptera, Psocoptera and Thysanoptera species. These assembled groups represent part of the monitoring programme EDEN Azores (2008-2014), where all Arthropod fauna, at all strata, within nine representative habitats of the abovementioned five Islands of the Azores was recorded.

NEW INFORMATION

In this study, a total of 116,523 specimens, belonging to 483 species and subspecies of selected groups of arthropods, are reported by order, family and, when possible, genus and species. Hymenopteran, mostly parasitoids, accounted for the most represented taxa across all the monitoring and sampling phase of EDEN Azores (193 species and mophospecies), followed by Coleoptera (95 species); Collembola (89 species); and Araneae (72 species).A total of 37 non-native species are reported for the first time in the Azores. : (Linnaeus, 1761) (Carabidae); (Paykull, 1789) (Staphylinidae). : Fieber, 1861 (Pentatomidae). : Stach, 1963 (Entomobryidae); (Simón-Benito, 2007) (Entomobryidae); (Ellis, 1974) (Sminthuridae); (Ryder, 1879) (Katiannidae); sp. (Entomobryidae); sp. (Onychiuridae). : Viereck, 1912 (Braconidae); Haliday, 1834 (Braconidae); Viereck, 1912 (Braconidae); Stefani-Perez, 1902 (Braconidae); (Haliday, 1834) (Braconidae); Haliday, 1834 (Braconidae); Rohwer, 1914 (Braconidae); (Wesmael, 1835) (Braconidae); (Spin.) Hal. - Ruschka, Fulmek, 1915 (Braconidae); (Thomson, 1895) (Braconidae); Ratzeburg, 1844 (Braconidae); two other species of sp.; (Marshall, 1905) (Braconidae); (van Achterberg, 1976) (Braconidae); (Thunberg, 1827) (Dryinidae). New genera not previously recorded for the Azores include: sp. (Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae); four species of sp. (Braconidae: Alysiinae); four species of sp. (Braconidae: Aphidiinae: Alysiinae); sp. (Braconidae: Microgastrinae); sp. (Braconidae: Homolobinae); sp. (Braconidae: Alysiinae).These 37 taxa were found in several Islands and five are new species for Flores Island, 10 species are new for Pico Island, 12 species are new for Terceira Island, 19 species are new for S. Miguel Island and five species are new for S. Maria Island.Additional species records for the Islands included: Flores (5 Collembola, 9 Araneae; 2 Hemiptera; 8 Coleoptera, 8 Hymenoptera), Pico (4 Collembola; 7 Araneae; 4 Hemiptera; 11 Coleoptera; 9 Hymenoptera), Terceira (4 Collembola; 1 Araneae; 3 Hymenoptera), S. Miguel (1 Araneae; 2 Coleoptera; 3 Hymenoptera), S. Maria (5 Collembola; 3 Araneae; 2 Hemiptera; 2 Hymenoptera).